Beauty and the END
by VintagePoison
Summary: Natsu Dragneel was a selfish, spoiled prince who got everything he wanted. One night, he makes a fatal mistake and then is forced to pay the price. He's now a demon, and until he frees himself of his selfish ways, he will remain this way. Many years later, an unsuspecting blonde shows up at his doorstep. Is this the girl he's been waiting all these years for? AU. Nalu.
1. Prologue

**Welcome!**

 **As the title suggests, this will be a fic inspired by the classic movie Beauty and the Beast, with a Fairy Tail twist. While this fic shares similarities with the original film, there will also be many differences.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

* * *

The sound of raindrops banging hard on the giant windows of the castle was the only thing that could be heard during that dreary night. It had been an especially bad day for the spoiled, selfish prince. His parents had been out for the entire day, and Mira, the head chef, had accidentally dropped the entire pot of salt into today's dinner, resulting in an inedible mess. He had been furious after that, and nearly sent her to the dungeon. Before that, his pet cat had torn his favorite shirt for no reason other than boredom, and for some reason the fireplace would not light, which probably annoyed him the most. On a day like this, he couldn't even observe one of his favorite things; fire.

For the tenth time today, he same thought had crossed his mind.

Why is this happening to me?

He was a rich, spoiled prince who got anything he desired. Untouchable, he only spared time for those who he felt were worthy. Anyone else wasn't worth it, that's just how it was.

I don't deserve this.

"Useless piece of crap," he muttered to himself as he tried to light the fireplace one last time, to no avail.

It was at that moment that he heard loud banging that resounded all throughout the castle, overpowering the sound of the storm. Someone was knocking on the front door.

"Who the hell…"

He made his way over to the door, getting even more frustrated with every obnoxious bang that was heard from outside.

He swung open the large front door, ready to let out all of his pent up anger at whoever was on the other side. He saw no one at first, until he looked down. There, a short old lady dressed in rags stood, holding a torn up old book and shivering from the cold. She looked up at him through drenched white bangs. He knitted his brows in bewilderment. Who was this old hag to dare show up at his castle unannounced? And how dare she not bow at his feet?

"I-I apologize for d-disturbing you at this hour, b-but please s-sir, may I take shelter in this c-castle until the storm clears? There are n-no more houses for m-miles," She asked politely, through shivers. Her voice was sweet, kind. He hated it. He was a prince dammit, he had little time for poor old ladies who had nothing to offer him.

"Leave here. This isn't some shelter," he said coldly. "If I were to let every random stranger into my home, I'd be a dead man by now."

"Please, sir, I have n-nowhere else to go," she pleaded desperately.

"Not my problem. Get off my property, I have no time for peasants."

He then started to close the massive door, but was stopped short by a small hand that kept the door open. A vein popped up on his forehead, showing how close he was to losing it.

"You are making a mistake, young prince. You should not judge people based on appearances," the old woman stated firmly, her tiny hand keeping the door from closing.

Despite being slightly taken aback by the sudden change in her attitude, he held his ground. "Watch me. Get your dirty hands off of the door, before I remove them myself," he demanded, tired of this lady's persistence. Today had already been bad enough, why was he going through this now?

It was at that moment that the old lady began to glow, startling the young prince enough to step back in shock, letting the door swing open once again.

In a matter of moments, the lady had transformed from poor and old to young and beautiful, surprising the prince further. Long, curly blond locks cascaded down her slim form, clad in a flowy pastel pink dress with a dark pink ribbon tied around the neckline. A small wing resided on each side of her head, and she hovered in midair like an angel. Her entire being seemed to glow despite the dark, gloomy surroundings.

"Natsu Dragneel. Your actions just now have proved that you are selfish and shallow," her angelic voice declared as she glared down at him. "I had a feeling you were in need of a lesson, and I was right."

"E-ehh?!" The young prince sputtered, terrified. He continued to back away. She continued to follow. "W-who are you?! And how do you know my name?!" The frightened prince demanded shakily.

"My name is Mavis, you needn't know anything more," she stated simply. "You couldn't even give shelter to a helpless old woman. You deserve to be cursed!"

Holding out the book she had kept to her chest the whole time, she opened it and began chanting something in a language the young prince could only define as "gibberish".

He could only stand and watch, petrified as Mavis finished her incantation. When she finally ceased, she closed the book, and after a second the book vanished from her hands in a flash of light. A second later, the young prince began to feel odd.

"From this point on, you shall be known as E.N.D. Until you find someone who will love you for the monster you are, and who you will love for the person they are inside, you and your servants will be cursed with the appearance of a demon. You also will not age. I hope this teaches you to not judge others by appearances. I wish you best of luck, Etherious Natsu Dragneel," she sang as she slowly disappeared into thin air.

As soon as he was alone, he began to feel pain all over his body. The sides of his head pounded as if something was trying to escape from the inside. His fangs that he had naturally since birth started to grow at a painfully fast pace, and the skin around his arms and the sides of his face began to burn. He felt an odd sensation in his hands, and when he looked down at them he was appalled at the sight. Claws had started to grow where his nails used to be.

He writhed and coward in pain and discomfort, his hand holding on to his pounding head, but not for long as he was jabbed by something growing out from just above his ear. He immediately extracted his hands and wobbled over with great difficulty to the nearest mirror.

By the time he made it to the mirror, the dark, curved horns that had grew from the sides of his head were fully grown, and the sides of his face was covered in a black, intricate pattern of some sort that went down his neck and arms, almost like a tattoo. His pink hair seemed darker, and when he opened his mouth, he saw that his canines looked more defined than they were before.

Horrified with his new terrifying appearance, he screamed at his reflection and punched the reflective surface with a clawed hand. Shattered glass collected on the ground below him and in his knuckles

"I'm gonna be like this forever," he groaned. "Curse you, you witch!" he yelled to the tall ceiling at the top of his lungs.

He collapsed on the maroon rug, any sign of hope absent from his now piercing red eyes, replaced with lifelessness.

A single tear landed on the rug below him as he concluded that he would never be happy again.

… Because who could ever learn to love a demon?

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the Prologue of my new fanfic!**

 **Till next time**

 **Kat**


	2. Chapter 1

Read.

That was all Lucy Heartfilia did these days.

Was this really all that life had to offer?

After she finished reading the last page of a book she had read over ten times before, she closed it gently and placed it on the small round table with a sigh. This was the third time in a row she'd read this book from cover to cover in the past three days. Normally, now would be the time she returned it to the library in exchange for something different.

Ever since she was a little girl, reading had always been her favorite pastime, and so she always had her nose in a book. While all the other girls in the village were more concerned with boys and appearances, Lucy never had any interest for these things. She had always found herself tucked away in a corner, getting lost in a fictional universe in hopes to escape from her provincial life. She never made any friends, and was ridiculed by the other villagers for being "odd", but she never noticed because she very rarely ever looked up from her books.

She now lived in a small, isolated house with her father, who was too obsessed with his job to ever pay attention to her. In a way, she preferred it like this, because it gave her the freedom to read as much as she wanted.

But nowadays not even her favorite book could get her out of this sad mood she had been in for months now. A while ago she had succeeded in reading all the books in the local library, which, sadly, had the only books in town. Now, with no other new fictional worlds to venture in, she felt hopelessly bored and unmotivated. She could always re-read them all, but there was just something thrilling about reading a book you knew nothing about, delving into a world you've never imagined before. She just wouldn't be able enjoy the experience as much anymore. There had only been one book she had ever been able to re-read and not get bored, but she was now getting tired of that one as well.

It was times like this when she wished she lived elsewhere, preferably with a large library that had stacks of books waiting to be read at every corner. But sadly, that wasn't her reality.

"There has to be more to life than this," she sighed.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Her father rose his head from his desk and turned to look in her direction, a rare occurrence. She began to shake her head, but then stopped short. She rested an elbow on the table and cradled the side of her face with her hand.

"Father, have you ever wondered what life is like beyond this small town?" She asked, even though she already knew what his answer would be.

"Nope. I am grateful that we live peaceful lives here. You should appreciate what we have." _Of course_.

"Yes, but, don't you get bored?"

"There's plenty to do in town," he retorted.

 _There really isn't_ , she wanted to say, but she knew that the conversation was now over because her father would not be changing his mind.

"I guess…" she dropped the subject. "I'll be right back, I need to go into town to return this book," she said before hopping off her chair, taking the book from the table, smoothing out her casual yellow dress and heading towards the front door.

"Okay. See you later."

She nodded and walked out.

 _At least_ pretend _to care_ , she thought to herself as she shut the door behind her. The sun was going to set soon, wasn't he at least a _bit_ worried about her being out alone this late?

Lucy walked down the front steps of the one-story house and began to make her way to town, occasionally stopping to appreciate the beautiful summer scenery. On each side of the dirt road stood various tall, green trees, and flowers of every color imaginable dotted the grass, ubiquitous and peaceful. There wasn't a cloud the sky, and the setting sun was just starting to sink into the horizon.

It was a perfect time for a leisurely walk.

 _I can always return the book tomorrow_ , Lucy thought to herself as she found herself straying from the path that led to town, beginning to take a different path that turned the other direction instead, but she hesitated.

The thought of taking this alternate path had crossed her mind before, of course, but her father would always stress that she was to never _ever_ enter it, for bad things lie at the end. She always listened, despite how pretty the scenery was as you looked down the road. She had always been tempted to walk through it, and today was the perfect day. Her father probably had already forgotten her absence.

 _If I see anything bad, I'll just turn back,_ she assured herself. _What could possibly go wrong?_

Aside from books, the beauty of nature was something Lucy enjoyed reveling in. The constant changing of the seasons brought new things every year, and she loved it. There was no way she was turning away the opportunity to view new parts of nature.

She began walking down the forbidden road, and immediately regretted not coming here sooner. Out of the few paths she'd traveled on, this was one of the nicest.

The path continued through the forest, piquing her interest. She took her time walking, stopping occasionally to appreciate a flower or any trees that stood out from the rest. _Why didn't father want me to take this road?_ She thought incredulously to herself. _It's so pretty here_. She had been so immersed in her surrounds that she didn't notice the fork in the road until she found herself face to face with it.

"Eh?"

She stared at the two contrasting roads. The one on the right continued just as the one she was on currently, with pretty flowers and trees that now glowed orange in the light of the sunset. The one on the left on the other hand, seemed to have a creepy, dark aura surrounding it. The trees that outlined the road were droopy and dead, and the grass was overgrown and brown. An eerie, mysterious fog could be seen among the decaying branches.

 _Looks interesting._

Deciding she had seen enough beautiful nature for the day, she sauntered into the left path.

A few minutes passed, and Lucy was now completely enveloped in the eerie darkness that very much contrasted her appearance. Sure, she thought about turning around multiple times, but as she continued her trek through this mysterious forest she had grew more intrigued with each passing second. There was no way she was turning back now.

After ten minutes of walking, she began to see the silhouette of something huge in the distance, causing her to hesitate. What was it? A large tree? A house? A monster? She had to find out. She started walking faster, hoping her last theory was wrong.

The figure in the distance became increasingly visible with each step, and she was soon able to conclude that it was a castle, but it looked abandoned and dilapidated.

Eventually, the dense, eerie forest ended, but the sun had completely set by now. She continued walking in the darkness towards the large building until she stood at a wide, stone bridge, leading to the castle that seemed to stand on its own piece of land. Creepy looking gargoyles stood every several meters on each side of the passageway, giving the whole scene an even creepier vibe. She slowly made her way across it, looking back in suspicion every so often. Yeah, she was a little scared now, but there was no point in turning around and running back home after she had gotten this far. She doubted her father even noticed she'd been gone this long, anyway.

At the end of the bridge she was met with a tall, black gate that stood between stone walls that surrounded the entire property. She pushed it experimentally. It opened with a loud _creak_ , giving her an entrance into the large building.

The castle looked a lot bigger to Lucy now that she was standing right in front of it. The path leading to the large front door was surrounded by dying nature and was outlined by rusty lamp posts. She hesitantly walked down the path and up the steps that led to the door.

To her surprise, the door was cracked open, giving her a slight view of what was inside. She pushed the door open just enough so she could step inside.

The moment she took a step into the massive foyer, the thought that had entered her mind multiple times in the past hour popped up into her head once more.

 _Maybe this wasn't such a great idea._

The vast space was gorgeous, with a large maroon rug leading to two grand staircases that led in different directions; one to the left, the other to the right, with a large, expensive looking painting hanging on the wall between them. The ceiling rose up to the second floor, partially leaving a view of the floor above her. The staircase railing and several pillars served as a wall for that part of the second floor, and the rest was covered by a wall. She couldn't see the rest of the space, however, because it was barely lit.

"Hello?" She called out, but immediately questioned herself. That was how the main character got found by the evil monster in horror novels. She basically just called out, "Hey, monster! I'm right here! Come and attack me!"

It was then that she heard female voices coming from her left. She turned, but saw nothing. Were there people in the shadows?

"Who's that girl? Is she someone's guest?"

"I doubt it. Do you think she's from town?"

"Probably, should we greet her?"

"I don't know, is she friendly?"

"Well, she doesn't look dangerous…"

"Could she be…"

"Oh my Mavis! She could be!"

"Shh! She'll hear us!"

Lucy sweatdropped, staring at the noisy darkness. Did the owners of those voices honestly think she wouldn't be able to hear them when they were talking so loud in this echoey room?

"Um… Is there anyone there?" She questioned the shadows.

"She's looking right at us."

"Should we keep hiding? Maybe she'll leave."

"But, what if she's the 'one'?"

"Ah! You're right! Let's get her before she leaves!"

"Hey! Wait for me!"

Lucy remained where she stood, hearing everything the two sweet sounding voices were saying. A moment later, she saw two figures emerging from the shadows. When their faces came into view, her hand flew up to cover her mouth in shock.

"Hello! Welcome to the castle!"

Two similar-looking humanoid female monsters appeared before her, getting closer with every second. They both had white hair, though one, the one that spoke, had longer hair than the other. Black, intricate designs outlined their pale faces, and curved horns stuck out from above their ears. Their exposed arms looked slightly scaly, with the same black designs as the ones on their faces. Their eyes glowed an eerie, bright blue, and ferocious fangs deceived their seemingly innocent, wide smiles. The older one wore a long, black dress that hugged her torso and flowed outward from the waist down, with a thin gray sash wrapped around her waist and tied at her side. The younger-looking one wore the same dress, only hers stopped slightly above the knees. Upon seeing Lucy's shocked demeanor, their smiles and happy expression immediately dropped.

"Please don't be afraid of us. We're demons, but we mean no harm. My name is Mirajane, and this is my sister, Lisanna," the one named Mirajane hurriedly explained. "You do not need to be frightened, we're all friendly here."

The one named Lisanna looked down at her black shoes. "Well, all except Natsu," she muttered under her breath. Mirajane nudged her with a hushed "Shh!"

Lucy's hand slowly retreated from her mouth to rest at her side. _Well, they don't_ seem _hostile_ , she thought to herself, relaxing with every passing second.

"I-I'm Lucy," she began. "I was taking a walk and just happened to see this place. Curiosity got the best of me and now I'm here," she confessed with a nervous laugh. Their bright smiles returned with full force.

"Oh! Come! Come! Let us ease your curiosity and show you around! Oh, I know! Why don't you stay the night! It must be far too late for you to return home at this hour! Would you like something to eat? Drink? We have everything!" Mirajane pressed, lightly pushing Lucy toward the staircase on the right.

"Wait, Mira! If Natsu sees her…"

Mirajane immediately stopped. "Oh Mavis, you're right!" She gave out an annoyed sigh. "Honestly! How does this man expect to break this curse if he sends every visitor to the dungeon?" She huffed, taking Lucy's hand. "Come on, you have to hide."

Lucy gulped. "D-dungeon?"

"Mira, you frightened her."

Mirajane let go of Lucy's shoulders with a start.

"Oh! Please don't be frightened! We won't let anything happen to you!"

At this point, Lucy decided she had done enough exploring for today. It had been fun, but now she just wanted to be home, away from old castles, pushy demons, dungeons, and most of all, whoever this "Natsu" person was. He didn't seem very friendly.

"A-actually," Lucy started with another nervous laugh, "I-I really think I should be going," she stammered, taking a step backward towards the door with every word. She turned around the end of her sentence and began speed walking toward the door, that was still open from when she entered.

"Dang it, Mira, we scared her off," she heard Lisanna's sad voice behind her.

"Please don't go…" Mira called out softly after her.

"It's so lonely here," her younger sister murmured.

Lucy suddenly started to feel sympathy for the demons. They probably lived just like she did, lonely and bored everyday, confined in this abandoned castle with only the evil Natsu to keep them company. She somewhat knew exactly how these girls felt, and before she knew it she found herself turning back around, but she only got about halfway before she felt her back bump into someone's hard chest. She froze. She could _feel_ the hate emanating from this person. Mirajane and Lisanna's expressions suddenly changed from somber to shocked, making Lucy extremely apprehensive.

"Mira. Lisanna," she heard a male voice behind her, eerily calm. "Who is this?"

The two siblings gulped in perfect sync.

"Natsu…" Lisanna murmured uneasily, then shot Lucy with a sympathetic expression.

 _Natsu?_

Lucy slowly finished turning around, only to be met with a scowl from a pink-haired demon. On his face he shared the same demonic features as the two sisters, but she couldn't tell what the rest of him looked like because the only thing that was visible was his face. He was wearing a long black cloak that covered everything lower than his neck. He looked about her age, giving off a seemingly more innocent appearance. Lucy's terrified expression lighted a bit.

 _Hmm, not what I was expecting._

His scowl deepened, and Lucy quickly dropped back down into her frightened state.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't send you to the dungeon right now, intruder," he growled.

 _I'm so dead_ , she thought grimly.


	3. Chapter 2

Lucy could only stand and stare in shocked, frightened silence as the angry pink-haired demon towered over her.

"I'm waiting."

She didn't know what to say, since it didn't seem like, " _Hey! I was just wandering around and just happened to walk into your home!"_ would satisfy this intimidating man, or _anyone else_ for that matter.

"I-I was just leaving," she stuttered nervously and pointed a thumb over her shoulder. The demon only narrowed his eyes as his scowl deepened and he crossed his arms, exposing them from his cloak. Lucy couldn't help but note how toned they looked.

 _Now is_ not _the time, Lucy_ , she scolded herself.

"You're not going anywhere, trespasser. Breaking into someone's house is a _crime_ , you know," he growled, taking Lucy out of her reverie.

She had to bite her tongue. _But the door was cracked open!_

She thought about subtly looking over his shoulder in hopes to get some sort of assistance from the kind sisters behind him, but there was no way for her to do it without him noticing. She was on her own. This was it. She was going to rot in this guy's dungeon for the rest of her life, old and alone forever. This was all her fault. No one had asked her to take that forbidden path and betray her father in favor of her curiosity.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know anyone lived here!" She pleaded for forgiveness, now wanting desperately to just leave and run home. She'd had enough adventure for one day.

"Save your excuses. Mira, send her to the dungeon."

Mira didn't move.

"Now!" He turned to glare at the beautiful white-haired demon next, but faltered when he saw the deadly look she was giving him. She was mad. Not good. He'd forgotten how scary she was when she was upset. "... I mean, if you want to…" he rushed to add, his tone abruptly shifting from intimidating to cowardly.

Lucy sweatdropped in bewilderment. _Is he… scared of Mirajane?_

Mira walked around a frightened-looking Natsu to lightly take Lucy by the arm and lead her out the front door, both of them being instantly hit with the cool night air. Lucy could only let herself be taken to her fate in dazed shock. Her breath hitched as she felt a sudden jab to her side, and before her sight faded into blackness she could hear Mira whisper.

" _Don't worry, we'll get you out of this."_

* * *

Mira returned alone, and closed the front door lightly behind her. She remained facing it for a few seconds, her expression a mystery to Natsu before she whipped around to glare daggers at the demon that had sent an innocent girl to the dungeon. He fearfully met her eyes and recoiled slightly, but refused to back down. He had let her demonic stare intimidate him into submission many times before, but not _this_ time.

"That girl didn't do anything wrong!" She hissed through clenched teeth.

"She broke into the castle. That's a crime. And you're in no place to argue, servant," he attempted to assert, but lacked the confidence to do so knowing that he had just provoked her.

"You'd better take her out of there _now_ , or so help me I'll-"

"Why should I? She's a prisoner," he said flatly. Mira's scowl shifted into something darker, more terrifying. _Don't let her scare you, Natsu. You're the goddamn prince, not her._

She took a step forward.

He took two steps back.

 _She's still pretty damn scary, though._

Lisanna took this opportunity to interject, before her sister went on one of her infamous rages that often resulted in a mentally-scarred Natsu locking himself away in his chamber for several days.

"Umm... If I may interrupt, I also think we should take her out of the dungeon."

Natsu whipped around to glare at her next, clearly unimpressed by her response. She fearfully stepped back and threw her hands in front of her face in defense, though she knew Natsu would never hurt her.

"I-I just think she may be the one to break the curse!" She added hurriedly. His expression faltered slightly at the sudden subject. She noticed the change, causing hers to soften as well as she lowered her hands and continued calmly. "Don't you think this is fate? It's not every day a beautiful girl just comes waltzing in a place like this. This has to be a sign!"

 _A… sign?_

His eyes widened briefly in revelation before his gaze shifted to the floor. His head was downcast, pink locks drooping over his eyes, hiding his emotions. _The curse_. It's been so long he had nearly forgotten. It could never fully slip his mind, however. Every day he looked in the mirror, and was reminded of what they all have to go through for the rest of their eternal lives, all because of him. Not a day went by where he didn't feel regret for putting the nice people who raised him in their current position. They didn't deserve this. How had he not realized sooner? Lucy could fix it. It was possible she could be the one to break the curse, and he would be a fool to let this opportunity slip through his fingers. He owed it to himself and his servants- his friends. He also couldn't deny that this "Lucy" character was indeed very beautiful, even though she was a bit weird.

Natsu swiftly turned back around to face Mira. "Get her out of the dungeon and bring her to one of the spare rooms."

He could hear Lisanna sigh in relief and happiness as Mira's scowl was replaced with a large grin. She nodded and opened the front door once more.

"Good choice," she added before leaving.

When the door closed, he heard Lisanna's footsteps closer and closer as she boldly walked over to hug him from behind, startling him.

"... Thank you, Natsu."

He didn't shove her off or send her away. Instead, he felt the tiniest of smiles graze his face, knowing he had given Lisanna- no, everyone, the hope they thought had been lost.

* * *

Lucy had expected to wake up in a cold, dark, dreary cell, with a mattress of spikes in one corner and some sort of demonic torture device on the other. What she had _not_ expected was exactly the situation she had found herself in.

As soon as her eyes opened, she immediately registered the fact that she was comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that she did not want to get up from her forced sleep.

 _A bed?_

She eventually found the strength to open her eyes but for the first few moments, everything was blurry. She could barely make out a high, white ceiling. When her vision began to clear, she was able to see intricate, indented designs in it, though the ceiling itself was worn, some parts of the paint beginning to peel.

It was then that she remembered her situation.

She shot up, but somehow she had managed to do it so ungracefully that she fell off the bed and landed flat on her face, a dust cloud rising around her from the floor that had obviously not been cleaned in a very long time. She struggled to rise to a sitting position, rubbing her eyes and unattractively coughing out dust that had managed to get into her mouth.

"Doesn't anyone clean up around here?" She muttered through ungraceful coughing.

"Lucy? Are you awake ye-"

The door to her left opened and Mira walked in to find Lucy sitting on the floor, coughing relentlessly. She gasped and ran to Lucy's side, repeatedly slapping her on the back with one hand in an attempt to help (but in reality she was just making Lucy's back hurt), and helping her off the ground with the other. As soon as they were both back on their feet Mira removed her hands, and Lucy had to restrain from cringing at the pain in her back that Mira had caused.

"Are you ok now? Did I help?" Mira asked frantically. Lucy nodded with a smile, not wanting to hurt the kind demon's feelings.

"Yes. Thanks for that," she reassured her, brushing off her dress that had been covered in dust.

"How did you end up on the floor?" Mira asked incredulously as she lightly gripped the blonde's shoulders.

"I, um, fell," she answered shamefully, and the demon's shoulders relaxed, as if she had expected something worse.

"You should be more careful. Anyway, you're probably wondering why you're here and not in some cold, depressing underground chamber," she changed the subject, seeming to read Lucy's mind as that was _exactly_ what she was thinking.

It was then that she took the time to take a look around the room. If _this_ was how they housed their prisoners, she may not even mind being locked up here. The high walls were white with an intricate but faded gold trim running along the edges, and large, old looking double doors stood tall on one side of the room. The area was furnished with fancy yet worn chairs and other furniture built obviously for royalty. A dome shaped window on the far side of the room overlooked the whole front yard of the castle, with a cushioned space for a person to sit by and look over the scenery. The spot where Mira and Lucy stood was on its own raised platform. The room as a whole was beautiful. Was she really in a dungeon?

All she remembered at the moment was being led outside by Mira, followed by a slight sensation of pain before she was thrown over someone's petite shoulder.

"At first, you _were_ put in the dungeon, because as much as I hate to admit it, Natsu is the boss around here. He is the prince, after all. I cannot just disobey him whenever I want, but I _am_ able to sway him to my will most of the time," she stated. Lucy's eyes shot wide open in surprise. A prince? Evil, merciless Natsu was a _prince?_ "... So I managed to convince him to get you out, and now you're in one of the many rooms we have in the castle. Personally, I feel it's a lot better than being in the dungeon, if I do say so myself," she giggled, hoping to lighten up the mood a bit.

Lucy stayed quiet for a few moments, processing the new information. "I see," she nodded, then suddenly threw her arms around the demonic beauty and held her tightly, being careful to avoid her horns. "Thank you for your mercy, kind stranger! I owe you my life!"

Mira had been startled at first, but slowly began to return the hug after a few moments. "Enough of that. You're more than welcome here, so feel free to make yourself at home, 'kay? You might as well, since Natsu isn't going to let you leave," She said sweetly, pulling away slightly to see the blonde's face. Lucy took a quick glance out the window and nodded slightly.

"I guess you're right," Lucy muttered, a bit upset at the information. It was definitely interesting here, but it's not where her life was. "But I feel like an unwelcomed guest, he hates me," Lucy pouted. Mira merely scoffed.

"Don't worry about him, he's a bit of a hardhead. I ought to throw _him_ in the dungeon," she growled with a scowl, which shifted into a soft smile after a moment. "... But he is not a bad person, at least, not anymore. You will be fine. I'll make sure of it."

After a few seconds of silence, Lucy decided against asking what Mira had meant by "not anymore", figuring she would be better off not knowing. She instead opted for a smile and nod. "... Okay, I'll take your word for it." Mira hadn't done anything to make Lucy feel suspicious of her yet, so she felt like she could trust her. She also gave off this motherly vibe that somehow made Lucy feel safe around her. Mira grinned widely, causing Lucy to do the same as she let the older demon grab her lightly by the hand and lead her out the door.

"Great! Come, let me introduce you to everyone."

* * *

Mirajane led Lucy through several different hallways and corridors (seriously, someone could get hopelessly lost here, Lucy was sure it had happened before) on the same floor, and Lucy couldn't help but admire the many beautiful and expensive-looking paintings on the walls, though many were crooked and beginning to tear at the edges. She became even more curious with this mysterious castle with every passing step. _What had happened here? It's so dark and dreary. And everyone is a demon._ She was sure she had read about something like this in a book, but she had never imagined ever experiencing something this… _bizarre_ in her actual life. It was almost like she was in a novel herself.

It somewhat excited her, in a way.

She was in an abandoned castle in the middle of the woods, where she had met kind demon sisters, an evil demon prince that almost threw her in a _dungeon_ for probably all eternity, and now she was being led by the eldest sister to go meet _other_ demons. It ignited a thrill in her that she had never experienced back in her town. A thrill she had longed for since birth, finding it only in the many books she read. She almost didn't want to leave.

Mira eventually stopped by a door to the left, and swiftly turned around to lightly shove Lucy next to it. Lucy's brows furrowed in confusion and she began to open her mouth to speak, but Mira stopped her, bringing a finger to her lips with a "shh!". Lucy closed her mouth and decided to just go with it. "Wait here," Mira whispered before she stepped over to the doorknob and swung the door open, causing a slight draft to sway Lucy's hair slightly from the impact of the large mass being moved so quickly. She couldn't see what was inside the room, the open door she was now standing in front of now blocking her of anything.

"Ok everyone, are you ready to meet Lucy?" She heard Mira's voice echo in the room. Had she gathered everyone to meet her? How'd she do manage to pull that off so fast?

"Yes! Bring her in!" A female voice squealed excitedly. Lucy couldn't help but smile in flattery.

"We haven't had a guest in years!" A male voice called out.

"Let's lift this curse!" Another yelled, causing an exceptionally loud cheer to erupt. _Wow, sounds like a lot of people_ , Lucy thought, suddenly feeling nervous. _And what's this about a curse?_

She was dragged out of her thoughts when a grinning Mira showed up from behind the open door and grabbed Lucy's hand, walking her around the door and into the room. Lucy's jaw almost dropped at the amount of people in the large room that looked somewhat like an royal hall, lit up by a huge chandelier with wide, tall windows on the far end. Mira left her side to go stand by her sister in the crowd and the entire room went silent at once, all eyes falling on the petite blonde. She flushed at the sudden attention, now extremely nervous.

"Um…" She began, uneasy. "Hello, my name is Lucy Heartfilia, and I'm-"

The room suddenly erupted into cheers and music began to play, cutting her off.

"She's so cute!"

"She's perfect!"

"The curse will be lifted!"

Her eyes shot up at the mention of "curse" again, but before she could think anything of it, she saw a man with cat-like ears sprouting from his hair walk up to her and grab her hand, raising it up to his lips to kiss it lightly. She flushed even deeper at the action. "Lucy Heartfilia! What a lovely name! How very fitting for a beauty like you," he sang, still holding on to the blonde's hand. "I'm Loke. May I call you ' _Princess'?"_

"Um…"

The flirtatious demon suddenly flew to the other side of the room as an armored red-haired demon stood in his place, facing him with a fist raised.

"How dare you violate this innocent young woman?! Intolerable!" She growled at his limp figure, and Lucy swore she could see his soul leave him. A shiver went up Lucy's spine as the woman turned around to lock eyes with her, a welcoming smile now adorning her face.

"I apologize for his behavior. Please pay it no mind. My name is Erza. Pleasure to meet you," she greeted, and stuck a hand out for Lucy to shake. The blonde complied with a nervous smile, though hesitantly as she just witnessed this woman send a man flying. _Wow, she's really pretty, like Mira,_ Lucy thought to herself as she studied the demon's face. She'd begun to notice that all the demons had similar inhuman features, such as horns and black patterns outlining their faces. Some, though, had animal ears instead of horns, like the one called Loke.

A man with dark, droopy eyes and raven hair walked up from behind Erza with a hand raised. "I'm Gray. And this-" he moved aside slightly to reveal a blue-haired beauty clutching tightly to his arm, "... is Juvia."

She shook hands with Gray, but quickly pulled her hand away after a second when she saw that Juvia has been glaring intensely at their conjoined hands. She could've swore she heard the woman mutter something along the lines of "love rival". She sweatdropped. These demons were… very interesting.

She loved it.

She spent a good part of the night meeting everyone in the room. How Mira had managed to gather everyone in such a short period of time, she didn't know, nor did she mind. Every individual had a character that was much more lively than anyone back in town (besides Levy of course, her best friend ever since they were children) and though they were all quite odd in their own way, they were all very friendly and inviting (all except for this one tall man who had long hair and piercings for eyebrows, but he seemed to isolate himself from the rest of the crowd quite often). Loke had apologized for making Lucy feel uncomfortable, and took significant steps in avoiding Erza for the remainder of the party. A drunk named Cana had convinced Lucy to take her very first sip of alcohol. A large demon named Elfman gave her a lecture on all things "man", and Juvia gave her not-so subtle harsh stares often, making Lucy constantly feel uneasy. She had been having a lovely conversation with Erza, Gray and a shy, young demon named Wendy when the evil demon prince Natsu decided showed up, a scowl plastered onto his face. At this point, Lucy had begun to think that was his natural expression.

He stood at the entrance of the room and briefly scanned the audience, then cleared his throat rather loudly. The entire room went silent at the sight of their master standing in the door frame.

"Everyone, what's going on here?" He asked calmly, but with a threatening edge.

Everyone turned to look at Mira, who stood a few feet away from him, her stance defiant and unafraid.

"I wanted to throw a party for Lucy, our first guest in a very long time," Mira stated rather nonchalantly, resulting in a few worried glances.

"And why wasn't I informed of this?"

Barely a second passed before Mira replied. "You seemed rather upset, so I didn't want to bother you."

A pause.

"... I see. Carry on, but don't let it happen again," he asserted before he walked out.

It remained silent as the jaws of nearly everyone in the crowd dropped to the floor in shock. They had _not_ expected Natsu to be so… calm.

"Is he okay?" a voice in the crowd asked.

"He's so angry that he's calm! That's the worst level of angry!"

"Should we run for our lives?"

"Relax, people. He's not angry," Lisanna spoke loud and clear, walking to the front of the room to face everyone. "He's come to terms with his mistakes and is now trying his hardest to rectify them."

There was a moment of silence before everyone seemed to nod their heads in understanding, some taking a second to sneak a glance at their blonde guest.

"I have the utmost faith in Natsu that he _will_ prevail. He'll break this curse, and we'll all live happily ever after!" The room erupted into cheers, and the music started up again. Mira looked like she was on the verge of tears as she stared proudly at her younger sister, a hand over her heart. Lucy only stood and watched everyone, completely clueless.

What was this _curse_ everyone kept talking about?! Was it the reason they were all demons? Would it be rude of her to ask?

She was forced to once again put those thoughts in the back of her mind as Mira took her hand and dragged her to the center of the room to dance.

 _Oh well, I'll have plenty of time to find out, I guess._

The thought made her bright smile waver slightly, only for it to return when Mira spinned her around and into the arms of grinning Lisanna, who proceeded to continue the dance Lucy had been doing with Mira.

 _Who knows, maybe I'll like it here._

* * *

This was his chance.

His _only_ chance, possibly.

Natsu was not going to let this opportunity go to waste.

Something inside was screaming to him that _fate_ was waiting for him downstairs, in the form of a beautiful blonde.

"Lucy, huh," he muttered to himself, staring out the large window of his dark chamber, lost in thought. "How in the _world_ am I gonna get you to fall in love in someone like me?"

…

Deep in the woods just outside the castle gates, a figure lurked in the darkness, watching everything happening in the castle with the mirror that _that man_ had entrusted him with.

"... So fate's beginning to make it's move, eh. Time to get started."

A low, evil snicker emitted from the mysterious man, before he headed back to his home in town to devise a plan.


	4. Chapter 3

**A super long chapter after a super long wait. Oops.**

* * *

Lucy woke up in her new room, ready to repeat the daily routine she had gotten used to since her arrival. It had been a few days, and she was beginning to feel less like a prisoner and more like a guest as every day passed. Although it had barely been a week, she found herself liking it here. Many of the demons came to visit her in her comfortable prison, whether it was to bring food or just to have a conversation. Thankfully though, Natsu never visited. He still frightened her. But as weird as it sounded, she actually enjoyed being imprisoned here more than being at home, where everyone seemed to live a boring, repetitive cycle of "normal" life. It was as if she had been torn from real life and shoved into one of her fantasy novels.

Only this wasn't fiction. It was her reality.

As the days passed, it became gradually clearer that there was no way she could ever stay here forever. She still had people who cared about her back in town, and how was she supposed to progress in life if she was trapped in a place like this? No matter how she looked at it, there was just no way she could do this. She couldn't afford to stay here much longer.

Forcing these thoughts to the back of her mind, Lucy removed the multiple blankets that covered her form and hopped off the tall bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a folded note resting on a nearby end table. "Lucy" was written in fancy calligraphy on the top. She walked over and carefully unfolded the lavender piece of paper to reveal a short message on the inside.

 _Good morning! Everything you need to prepare for the day is in the room next door._

 _See you soon!_

 _Mira_

Lucy broke into a grin almost immediately after reading the note. She was quickly starting to feel like royalty here. Everyone she had met (except for Natsu) was courteous and respectful, and Mira constantly went out of her way to make sure the blonde was comfortable. It was great, definitely nothing like home where she would have to go to great lengths just to get her father to look up from his work. Placing the note back on the table, she left her "prison" chamber and took a short walk to the room next door, which was probably one of her favorite rooms in the castle so far.

After the party, Mira had led the blonde back to her room, and showed her where the bathroom was, which was thankfully right beside her room. The demon then proceeded to prepare a bath, and left some clothes on the counter for Lucy to sleep in. The blonde had nearly cried at the woman's kindness. Mira and Lisanna then made an effort the next day to clean it for her, and now it basically served as Lucy's own personal bathroom.

When Lucy thought of restrooms in old castles, she thought of cold, rough stone walls with one small window, an old wooden tub in some random part of the room, and a hole carved into an elevated part of the floor to serve as some sort of toilet.

This one she was staring at now was _nothing_ like that.

Though it wasn't as large as the other rooms she had seen in the castle, it had everything her bathroom had at home, only it looked _way_ better than hers. Everything still looked pretty old-timey, but it was beautiful. It also helped that it had some fairly modern technology for an old castle like this. The stone walls were smooth with warm earthy hues, much like the tiled floors that shined brightly under her. A large circular tub sat on an elevated platform in the far left corner, where a bath had already been prepared. There was a window at the top of the far wall that spanned the length of it, illuminating the entire space. A sink was embedded in the counter on the right wall, which held various toiletries along with a lavender towel and some folded pink cloth that Lucy assumed was clothes for her to wear. On her first day, Lucy was surprised to see all these modern brands of soap and the like, and Mira had explained that recently they made a connection in town. Someone that delivered new shipments of survival essentials every so often. Lucy was too impressed with the room she hadn't thought to ask who the said connection was.

She wasted no time getting out of the night shirt that Mira had provided her and happily sinking into the bath, feeling her troubles melt away almost immediately.

* * *

"So, do you have a plan yet?"

"What?"

"How are you gonna get the lady to fall in love with you?"

Gray watched Natsu stare intensely into the fireplace as if he'd find the answer to the question somewhere in the crackling flames.

"... Natsu!"

He jumped slightly at the sudden noise and turned to glare at Gray.

"What?" He asked, annoyed.

Gray facepalmed. The prince returned his attention to the fireplace.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes."

"Are you lying?"

"Yup."

"You're hopeless," Gray sighed.

"Just give me some time to think."

"You don't have time. She could decide to leave any minute."

"She can't leave."

"Oh, come on. Do you really think you can keep her trapped here?"

No answer.

"... Exactly. Now go see her. She's probably terrified of you right now."

Natsu flinched slightly. "... Don't tell me what to do."

"This is going nowhere," Gray sighed once again. "I'm getting Erza."

He turned to leave.

Two steps.

Four steps.

Almost at the door…

"Wait!"

Gray stopped with a smug smirk.

The demon prince sighed in defeat. "Fine! I'll go, just don't call that she-devil."

Gray smirked smugly. "Good."

The raven-haired demon promptly sauntered out of the room, leaving Natsu to stare solemnly at the dying flames.

 _Let's get this over with._

He stood, immediately missing the heat from the crackling flames of the fireplace, and walked out of the dimly-lit room.

* * *

Lucy had just finished putting on the pink dress Mira had set out for her in her room when she heard someone knock on the large door. _Another visitor?_ She hesitantly walked over and opened it wide enough just to see who was on the other side.

Mira's bright, smiling face appeared in the doorway, and Lucy immediately returned it and opened the door to let the kind demon in.

"Oh! You look beautiful!" Mira cried excitedly. "I knew that dress would suit you perfectly!"

Lucy reddened with a smile and looked down at her attire.

It was a simple light pink dress, long sleeves with a low neckline and a small cloth that wrapped around her waist and knotted into a bow tie in the back, the bottom half of the dress flowing loosely down to her ankles. Deciding against the usual half-up style she usually went with, her hair freely cascaded down her back, giving her a sense of elegance that also boosted her confidence. It was all rather plain, but she still felt like a princess.

"Would you like anything? Coffee? Tea?" Mira asked the blonde with a hopeful glint in her eye.

Lucy shook her head. "I couldn't possibly ask more of you, Mira."

Mira merely brushed her off with the wave of a scaled hand. "Please! If it weren't for you, I'd just be counting the ceiling tiles of the library right now."

Lucy's eyes lit up at the mention of a library.

"There's a library?" She asked excitedly.

Mira's nodded with a smile. "Of course! We get new books all the time. I'd be happy to show it to you sometime."

"That would be great! Thank you!"

"It's no problem at all. You're with us now, so don't be afraid to ask for anything you desire."

Lucy's expression faltered at that. Mira didn't seem to notice.

The white-haired demon left shortly after to go help Lisanna with something, leaving Lucy standing in the large room by herself.

 _They're all so nice…_

Conflicting thoughts filled her head as she walked over to the large window and took a seat in front of it, watching bright colorful birds fly around and perch on the dull, dead tree branches in the yard. She almost laughed at the contrast.

"I need to leave…" she uttered quietly, as if trying to convince herself. But they all seemed so happy to have her here, and she was actually enjoying herself without having to stuff her face into another world, for once. _They're all worried,_ she tried to reason, but she knew that was probably a lie. No one ever paid attention to her anymore, including her father.

About five minutes of staring out the window at nothing in particular passed before she heard another knock at the door. _Mira again?_ She hurried over and swung the door open with a bright smile, only for it to immediately drop, along with her stomach.

Standing glumly in the doorframe was Natsu, looking very annoyed and trying his hardest to avoid eye contact.

"N-Natsu? Is something the matter?" She asked apprehensively. She rarely ever left her room now, but her previous encounters with the demon prince had not been pleasant in the least.

At the mention of his name, his eyes immediately shifted to Lucy's. Immediately noticing she looked different, he took a second to look down at her, and for a moment she swore she saw his jaw drop a bit before his stoic face was plastered back on not a second later.

"Luc–" a pause. "... Prisoner," he began. Lucy flinched slightly at the term. "Uhh…"

He went silent for a moment as his gaze shifted somewhere else in the room. He stayed that way for a few moments, and eventually the curious blonde rose a brow and giggled slightly at the weird prince. At the sound, Natsu's eyes shot back to Lucy's, and she immediately silenced.

"Prisoner," he started again. "... Come with me."

He then turned and began to walk away. Lucy figured it was best to not askt questions, and hesitantly moved to follow him into the long, dark hallway.

 _This place needs a serious dusting,_ she thought to herself as they made their way down the hall.

"... Where are we going?" Lucy asked after a few moments, trying her best to keep up with his swift movements.

"Prisoners aren't allowed to ask questions."

She huffed impatiently, but complied nonetheless.

Eventually, they had reached the main foyer of the castle. The prince led Lucy down the stairs and into a room on the left.

The room was large, just like any other in the castle, with a long table surrounded by many chairs. Once again, Lucy felt like she had fallen into a fantasy, about to have dinner with the king of vampires or something. The two biggest chairs sat at each end of the table. He led her to one.

"Sit," he demanded. She complied, not having much of a choice. He then made his way to the chair on the other end, and took his seat rather ungracefully.

...

Silence.

… "Gray!" He suddenly called.

In less than five seconds, the raven-haired demon from yesterday appeared at the doorway, looking charming in a full tuxedo with a covered plate in each hand.

He came to Natsu first, placing the plate in front of the prince and uncovering it dramatically, revealing a huge stack of pancakes. _Hm. Not sure what what I was expecting,_ Lucy thought to herself, stifling a giggle at the anticlimactic breakfast food.

Gray then muttered something to Natsu that Lucy was too far away to hear, but judging by the prince's scowl, it wasn't pleasant.

The servant then made his way to Lucy and placed the remaining plate in front of her before uncovering it in the same way he had for Natsu. Both plates had the same thing, a delicious-looking stack of pancakes.

She loved this place.

If only it wasn't run by someone who had a considerably large stick up their ass.

After presenting the food to Lucy, Gray leaned down closer to her ear, taking care to make sure Natsu was out of earshot.

"Listen. He doesn't really know how to talk to people, and he's kind of a hothead, but you should give him a chance," he began. "I throw a lot of insults his way, but I actually think Natsu's an alright guy. Promise."

 _Natsu? An alright guy?_ Lucy didn't quite believe those two things could possibly be in the same sentence, but she nodded nonetheless. _Huh, so maybe he's not so bad,_ she thought, relaxing only slightly.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied with a smile.

Gray seemed pleased with her response. "Cool," he nodded. "Well, see ya."

Gray took his leave through the door where he first entered, leaving Natsu and Lucy alone in the large room. It was silent, minus the sound of Natsu's obnoxious, rushed eating. _He does realize the food isn't going anywhere… right?_ Lucy thought to herself as she watched him with a cringe. She began to eat hers, with more manners, of course, and was immediately blown away at what was probably the best pancakes she's ever had.

They both finished their meals at record speed, leaning back in their chairs in satisfaction when they had finished.

The silence had returned, and Lucy's initial fear was beginning to resurface. They avoided eye contact, both worried about what to say next. Natsu feared he'd say something that would make her even more afraid of him, and Lucy feared he'd get angry the moment she opened her mouth. And what was she supposed to say? _So, when are you letting me out of here?_ didn't seem like a good idea.

"Uh…" She started, worrying they'd be here all day if someone didn't start talking. His eyes shot right to hers, but she refused to be intimidated. "So… when can I go home?" _Probably not the best thing to say,_ she thought, but it was worth a shot.

"You're a prisoner. You can't go home."

"But my father is likely worried sick! Please let me go visit him. He's probably losing his mind," Lucy lied, trying desperately to obtain a sliver of sympathy from the demon prince.

"Not my problem. Maybe he should've taught his daughter not to break into people's houses."

She was immediately hit with a wave of disappointment at his words, as if she had been expecting for him to say something different. But _why_? _Why can't I just go home?_ _It doesn't make any sense!_ The reason she was even trapped here was ridiculous. If he didn't want people randomly walking into his castle, then maybe he should've locked it, or maybe, just maybe, _not leave the door wide open?!_ Just a thought. The place also looked completely abandoned, and on top of that it was in the middle of the _woods_ , so how could she have possibly known there were people here? It looked completely inhabitable.

"Oh come on! Why can't I leave?! I didn't do anything wrong!" She protested passionately. It seemed all of her rage had all bubbled up to the surface the more she thought about why she was here. She saw his eyes narrow from across the table, and that was when she realized her probable mistake.

"How dare you raise your voice at me? I am a prince. You should treat me with more respect."

Neither of them heard it, but Gray facepalmed from behind the door.

Something in Lucy seemed to snap. _Self centered snobby prince!_ "To hell with that!" She cried, slamming her hands on the table and standing with so much force that the chair slid several feet behind her. "I don't care if you're a prince, a king, or a freaking god! You have no right to keep me trapped here!"

Within a split second, the demon prince was in front of her, his annoyance and anger written all over his face. But despite her surprise, she refused to back down. So there they stayed, staring angrily at each other with neither side showing any sign of letting up.

"... Are you trying to make me angry?" He growled.

"Let me go home, and we'll both be happy," she snarled back. She wasn't sure where all this newfound confidence was coming from, but she did know that she should probably stop, _now_. She had no idea what this demon was capable of, and she really didn't want to find out.

His expression seemed to falter as his eyes shifted elsewhere. He seemed to lose himself in a daydream in the span of a few seconds, as if remembering something. But judging by the forlorn look on his face, it wasn't pleasant.

"... _Happy_..." He muttered to himself, his scowl replaced with something more solemn, _sad_. "Happy..."

Both of their faces lost all signs of rage, her eyes filling with confusion and curiosity while his just seemed resigned and dejected.

"Umm… Are you okay?" She asked finally.

His eyes became shadowed by his shaggy pink locks.

"Go back to your chamber, prisoner."

He turned and disappeared from the room in the blink of an eye, leaving Lucy standing alone in the dining room, confused as ever.

* * *

Lucy ended up following Natsu's orders, though that may have just been because there was no where else she could think to go at the moment. It had been several days, but she had rarely ever left her room, so she still wasn't sure where anything was. There was also the fact that the demon prince had yet to leave her thoughts by the time she returned to her chamber. That scene in the dining room earlier only caused even more questions to add to the stack in her head, but still no answers whatsoever.

 _I guess it can't be helped_ , she sighed to herself. _I should just focus on escaping._ But as she looked around the room, she realized how difficult breaking out of a place like this would actually be. There wasn't much she could use to ensure a safe escape, besides the window. But the room was on a high floor, so jumping out of there wouldn't end well for her, likely. But maybe there was something like a rope in the room, an object she could use to make it down safely? She eyed her surroundings once more. There could be something hidden in one of the drawers in the night stands, or even the wardrobe. Her eyes made their way over to the stand where Mira's note was. There were a couple drawers in it, could there be something useful in them? She walked over, but paused as she laid her eyes on the note once more.

Would Mira be upset if she left? She's done so much for her, and she seemed really happy to have Lucy around when they interacted. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. _But I need to go home,_ she reminded herself. _Sorry, guys._

She opened one of the drawers, but much to her dismay there was nothing in there but an old, worn book, and a feather pen. Curious, she picked up the book and opened it to the first page. Someone had written some sort of entry in it in neat calligraphy, and she could've sworn she'd seen the style of handwriting somewhere before.

There was a date at the top, September 29th, X490. _100 years ago. Wow._ She began to read the contents of the page.

 _It has been several days since it happened. The King and Queen should be returning soon, and we are beyond frightened. What will happen to the castle? To all of us? I fear that they may attempt to dispose of us in favor of a new, human staff. We are no longer fit to serve guests or the Royal family, therefore we no longer have purpose here. Will they kick us out of the castle gates, to perform at freak shows for the rest of our eternal lives? Or worse, live on the streets where passing town dwellers will likely shriek and throw stones at the sight of us? The thought is enough to wish death would come for me soon. I am writing this so I can look back and remember my sanity, should it leave me. Will report again tomorrow._

The entry ended there, and Lucy wasted no time flipping to the next page to see the next entry.

 _September 30th, X490_

 _The King and Queen have returned. As I expected, they were hysterical when they saw us. I have never seen them cry as much as they did then. Natsu, as well. I did not think I would ever see a tear leave the eyes of that prince, but I was sorely mistaken today. It greatly distresses me to see us all so miserable. I hope we can all get past this soon._

She skipped to a page somewhere near the middle of the journal.

 _December 25th, X500_

 _It has been a while since I wrote. Since the death of the King and Queen, keeping everyone hopeful and motivated has become exponentially difficult. Natsu is the worst by far. It does not help that Happy seems to be getting slower every day, that poor old blue cat. I can tell his time is near. Mavis had been right. In the span of ten years, none of us have aged even a day. It frightens me to think of the future of our lives and how we could possibly continue to live this way forever. I am slowly edging toward my wits end. I do not know how long my sanity will last. This is perhaps the most solemn Christmas I have ever had. I will try to report tomorrow._

 _August 30th, X501_

 _I found Lisanna crying in the garden today._

 _I had been on my way to check on poor Natsu when I heard her through a window. She is worried. Natsu has become a completely different person, though not in the way that is favorable. It seems only Erza and I are able to keep him in check. He is unforgiving, irrational, and always angry, which is quite frustrating to say the least. Though I suppose it is not entirely his fault. He has lost not only his parents, but the rest of his family, along with his connection to the world as a whole. Happy had also passed away a few months ago. It seems there is nothing we can do to help him, because he continuously pushes us away. I am worried as well. May report tomorrow._

Lucy closed the book and placed it back in its rightful place inside the drawer. She could tell by the handwriting now that the one who had written these journals was none other than Mira. The blonde could feel the demon's distress through her writing, and it broke her heart to find out about the suffering and pain everyone was going through. She had no idea Natsu and the other demons had been suffering this much. It seemed they were more miserable than they had let on. Would leaving them here to continue living in solitude and loneliness be a good idea? She wasn't sure anymore. They treated her like some sort of queen here, and that was probably due to the fact that they finally weren't alone anymore. She never did actually stop to realize how secluded these demons actually were, and now that she finally did, she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to just abandon them like this. Lucy could tell that while she seemed happy and bubbly on the outside, Mira was slowly falling apart on the inside. The thought alone distressed Lucy greatly. Whatever this " _curse"_ was, Mira didn't deserve it. She was too kind of a person.

Lucy really wasn't sure what she wanted to do anymore. They clearly implied days ago that they needed her to break the so-called _curse_ they mentioned on her first day here, or else they would continue to suffer. But on the other hand, she had a life elsewhere, a life that she left without any warning whatsoever. Was her disappearance worrying everyone in town? Has her father realized she hasn't come home yet? Did anyone even care? Thoughts and emotions stormed around in her head as she tried to decide the right thing to do.

A soft knock on the door interrupted her inner conflict, followed by a sweet voice. "Lucy? It's Lisanna, just wanted to let you know your bath is ready," her muffled voice sounded through the large door.

Lucy felt herself smiling again at the sister's kindness. She really didn't deserve their generosity. She had been thinking of abandoning them, for gods' sake. "Thank you," she called back. "I'll be right out."

"Okay! ...Um," she questioned in an unsure tone. "Can I come in for a second?"

"Of course, you're always welcome," Lucy responded easily, walking over to open the door and reveal a timid looking Lisanna. The demon nodded, hesitantly walking into the blondes room.

"Thank you," she smiled gratefully, before her expression turned into something a bit more serious. "I, um, have a question," she stated hesitantly. "What do you think of Natsu?"

Lucy looked a little taken aback at the unexpected question, and Lisanna was about to apologize and take it back, but the blonde responded before she could.

"I think he's self-centered, irrational and rude," she snarled, remembering his treatment of her ever since she arrived. "It's amazing how you guys have been able to put up with him for so long."

Lisanna's gaze shifted to the floor and she nodded after a moment, looking slightly disappointed, as if she'd been expecting a different answer. "I see."

Lucy couldn't help but think she had hurt demon's feelings by the look on her face. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you," she cried frantically at the dejected looking sister, who merely shook her head.

"Don't worry, you didn't offend me. I understand why you would feel that way," Lisanna reassured her. "It's just… nevermind. I should go,"

The demon scurried out of the room before Lucy could say anything, leaving Lucy confused as ever once again. Did she say something wrong? She hadn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, she was just expressing her true opinion. If anything, she figured Lisanna would _agree_ with her, considering the events that went down on her first day here. There was definitely something going on that the demon's weren't telling her. She was almost one hundred percent sure of that now. Whatever they were keeping to themselves had something to do with the "curse" she kept hearing about, though it bothered her that she didn't know what it was. Would it bring harm to her? Were they planning to sacrifice her for the sake of breaking it? Mira hadn't written anything about that in the journal entries, though, unless Lucy had missed something vital while she was reading them. This thought had actually been floating around her head for a while, but there were several reasons why she never truly considered it. First of all, if they really wanted to kill her, then why hadn't they done it already? It didn't seem logical that they would stick around and befriend her if they were going to end her life anyway. Second, it just didn't seem like them to actually go and kill for their own sake. There was no way a kind woman like Mira would even _consider_ harming an innocent soul. Despite her intimidating outward appearance, the white-haired demon was probably the nicest person Lucy had ever met.

But then again it had only been a week, and their gentle personalities could very well just be a facade before they chopped her head off in her sleep or something. But for some reason, Lucy had a feeling in her heart that this wasn't the case at all. And it just wouldn't be right to abandon them like this. For over 100 years, they were forced to live in solitude in this dark, dreary castle in the middle of the woods, with demonic features that would make any normal human being run away screaming. She was actually surprised none of them had gone insane by now, Natsu especially. He seemed to be the main cause of all of this, so Lucy couldn't even begin to imagine how he must feel under that stoic, intimidating exterior. Now that she thought about it, it seemed like he was in pretty bad shape when she saw him last, and she hadn't heard anything from him after what had happened this morning. She couldn't help but feel a little worried.

As if on cue, there was another knock at the door, a bit more forceful than Lisanna's had been. Once again, Lucy made her way toward the door, ready to greet whoever was on the other side.

To her surprise, she was met with a certain demon prince who, much to her surprise, didn't look as angry as he usually did when she saw him. Though he still sported an annoyed expression, it was joined with a hint of sadness in his eyes. She wondered if he was still upset over what happened this morning. She still wasn't sure what she did, but she was smart enough to know that it was her that upsetted him.

"Prisoner," he looked down to make eye contact with the blonde, only to look away after a second. She figured it was best to just stay silent and wait for what he had to say, rather than open her mouth and have him get angry at her for whatever reason.

"... I..."

… She patiently awaited the next words, but they never came. She began to scrape up some courage and ask him why he was here when he finally started to speak again.

"I'm… sorry."

… _Sorry?_

The declaration threw her off guard, and in turn she could only look at him with wide eyes as she tried to understand. Out of everything he could've said, she wasn't expecting that at all.

"W-what?"

Natsu looked her in the eye again, this time with a slight tinge of annoyance, but looked away once more when he began to explain himself. "I'm sorry, for uh, imprisoning you and stuff,"

 _He's… Apologizing?_

"... Why?"

This time, it was the prince's turn to be confused as he eyed her with furrowed brows. "Why what?"

"Why are you apologizing?"

"... Uh," he couldn't tell her that Erza and Mira had forced him to, though that _was_ exactly what had happened. She'd think he wasn't genuine, which could possibly ruin any possible truce they could've had. But he wasn't sure how to explain himself any other way; he'd never apologized to anyone before, after all.

But he was running out of time to respond, and Lucy had started giving him this weird expression that exposed her waning patience.

"Look, I'm trying to be a better person, okay? So I'm sorry."

Lucy stared at him in deep thought, not sure if he was actually being truthful or if this was all some sort of joke. Judging by the way he'd been treating her up until this point, she wasn't sure if she should believe any form of kindness he seemed to offer.

"Well are you gonna say something or not?" He eyed her in clear annoyance, waiting impatiently for an answer.

 _Hm, there's the Natsu I know and detest_ , she thought to herself, getting pretty annoyed herself. So he could take however long he wanted to respond to her, but she needed to reply right away? _Selfish prince._

"Thanks for the apology. I appreciate it," she said simply. "Good night."

And with that, she closed the door in his face.

 _I gotta hand it to him though, at least he apologized._

Lucy never would've guessed he'd even be capable of producing the word "sorry". She still thought he wasn't being completely honest, but the fact that he actually did it was enough for her to see him in a slightly different light... Unless he was actually completely high off some old dead mushrooms in the garden or something and he wasn't aware of his actions at all. Either way, she was a little relieved that he wasn't _completely_ terrible, though that still wasn't enough for her to actually consider becoming friends. He still was pretty rude and pretentious.

But hey, it was a start.

* * *

The demon prince walked into his chamber feeling somewhat better about himself, despite having Lucy slam the door right in his face. Though it wasn't his decision, he mustered up the strength to confront the prisoner multiple times today, and only felt the urge to throw her into the dungeon twice. He even _apologized._ If you were to ask him, he'd say he did pretty well today, despite what had happened in the dining room this morning. Just the mention of _happy_ brought back memories of his poor blue companion, and the past completely engulfed his thoughts. His cat had been the only one keeping him sane after his parents had passed on, and when he lost that… He didn't even want to think about those days.

He knew he still had a long way to go before Lucy even looked in his direction, but he also knew from the start that this wouldn't be easy, and he'd have to work for it. He'd never admit it to anyone, but even though Natsu had courted many princesses back when he was human, Lucy was easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Not to mention she was kind, gentle, and patient, the complete opposite of him. With his demonic, inhuman features, paired with his pretentious hotheaded personality that he just couldn't seem to keep in check, even becoming _friends_ could prove difficult.

 _Curse that damn fairy._

If it wasn't for Mavis, he wouldn't be in this mess, and everyone wouldn't be suffering along with him for something they didn't do. But what was done is done, and there was no point in complaining about it now. His only choice now was to look ahead towards the future. This once endless, dark tunnel now seemed to show a tiny light at the end, and Natsu was determined to reach it.


	5. Chapter 4

Jude awoke to find himself in an awkward hunched position with a stack of papers stuck to his face. _Oh, lovely_. He had fallen asleep at his desk for the third time this week. It had been oddly quiet in the study lately, which made it hard for him to stay awake in the late hours of the night. He hadn't really thought about it until now, but he seemed to rely on hearing Lucy constantly wandering around and coming in to interrupt him to keep him awake. But he hadn't heard a peep from her in days. Jude didn't think much of it though. Sometimes she came late from the library because she'd been too caught up in a book, or she'd lose track of time when she went out for walks. She seemed to be going out a lot this week, he figured. It'd been quiet every day. It was blissful, but he had to admit he was starting to miss having her around to distract him from his stressful workload. He figured she finally gave up on trying to get his attention, and although he'd been completely fine with it at first, now he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something was missing, and it didn't help that it was accompanied by a gut feeling that something was _wrong_. _I'm probably just tired_ , he thought sleepily as he rose from his desk to get ready for bed.

* * *

Levy was getting worried.

It'd been several days since Lucy visited the library, and that didn't sit well with the petite bluenette. Not a day ever passed where Lucy didn't walk through the wooden doors with a book shoved in her face and another peeking out of her bag. Being the librarian's daughter, Levy worked at the library, practically living there at this point. She and Lucy ended up quickly becoming best friends, meeting every day at the same table to hang out and discuss their favorite books. But it had been nearly a week since the blonde had visited, and that unnerved Levy greatly. Something had to be wrong, but she had no idea where Lucy lived, nor had she seen her around town lately, so she had no way of contacting her at all.

Her worried thoughts were rudely interrupted when the door of the library slammed open and the most obnoxious man in town stormed in, his eyes immediately falling onto the bluenette.

"You!" He pointed a figure at the unsuspecting young woman, bewilderment and slight fear suddenly filling her expression. _Oh. It's Dan Straight, how pleasant,_ she thought sarcastically to herself.

"Me?" Levy pointed at her own chest, still confused as to what he would want with someone like her. What did the most popular guy in the village want with her, and how dare he ruin the peace of her sanctuary?

"Yes, you," he slammed a hand on the round table she was sitting at, causing her to jump slightly and a few more heads to turn in their direction. "Where's Lucy?" he demanded with a scowl.

"How should I know? I haven't seen her in days," Levy answered truthfully, honesty and a hint of sadness clear in her tone.

"How do I know you're not lying?" he spat, not believing a word that left the bluenette's mouth.

"I'm not," she asserted, brows knitting together in frustration, though Levy somewhat understood why he'd think she was lying. She was telling the truth, but even if she did know where Lucy was there's no way she'd ever tell him.

They stared each other down for a good few moments before he slammed his fists on the table once again and quickly turned to leave. "Whatever. I don't have time for this."

Levy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when the tall, built man finally left the building. _No wonder Lucy's always avoiding him_ , she thought with a scoff

"Where are you, Lu-chan…" Levy sighed dramatically as she sat at that round table in the library, bored and alone once again with only the books around her to keep her company. Her eyes mindlessly looked over to the calendar and widened shortly after, her mood immediately shifting to excitement when she saw the circle drawn around today's date. Her worry for a certain blonde had made her nearly forget a promise she made to a kind lady she met while wandering in the forest.

The bookworm quickly rose from her seat and hurriedly made her way to the back room, worried thoughts moving to the back of her mind for now. She grabbed the large wheelbarrow next to the door and pulled it toward the large bag that sat in the corner, hauling the heavy mass into the basket of the moving device before leaving through the back door of the library and making her way into the forest.

 _I can't wait to see them again!_ she thought with a grin, excitedly dragging the heavy wheelbarrow through the rough terrain.

* * *

Lucy awoke to the sound of obnoxious activity going on in the hallway, and sighed. Well, there went her plans to sleep in. What was even going on away? The whole castle was usually dead silent, with the exception of an occasional creak in the floorboards or the wind blowing outside. It was a little eerie, but Lucy was used to it. Besides, she was in an old abandoned castle alone in the middle of the woods, with no one to keep her company but demons. _Nothing_ could scare her at this point.

Well, nothing except for Natsu.

That guy could suddenly have a change of heart and leave her to rot in a dungeon for all of eternity if he wanted.

Forcibly shoving that thought out of her brain space, Lucy lazily rolled out of bed and dragged herself to the door, opening it just enough to look into the hallway. Suddenly, a small stream of water rushed in through the narrow opening, pooling around the blonde's bare feet and shocking her awake.

"What the—" more water was pushed in through the door, this time accompanied with the culprit; a dripping wet mop being dragged back and forth across the soaked floor by Juvia. The demon seemed to have noticed the mess moving into Lucy's room, and rushed in to clean it up with the drenched mop, though that did nothing put push more water in.

"Oh! Juvia is sorry!" the demon picked up the mop and dropped it in a nearby bucket, her shoes sloshing against the wet floor of the hallway. "Juvia likes to use a lot of water. But sometimes she uses too much," She admitted with a shameful smile. Lucy still found the fact that the demon spoke in third person a bit funny, but had quickly gotten used to it. It was a unique quality Juvia had, and it oddly suited her.

"It's quite alright," she waved her off with a reassuring smile. "Why are you cleaning the hallway though?"

"Mira said the castle looks horrible, and Juvia agreed. We are all taking the day to clean it up and make it look a little less gloomy," Juvia answered, and Lucy nodded in understanding. It was true, the castle _did_ look like some sort of glamorized haunted house at the moment, which was a bit unsettling.

"That's a great idea! I'll help!" Lucy offered, willing to assist in attempting to bring this castle to it's former glory. It'll probably make her feel better about staying here when it looks more habitable.

The blue-haired demon shook her head furiously. "Juvia insists that Lucy relaxes while we clean. She is a guest, after all," Juvia interjected, lightly resting her hands on the blondes shoulders and pushing her back into her room.

"But I _want_ to help," Lucy argued, placing her hands over the demon's and taking them off her shoulders. Juvia gave her a comical look of bewilderment as she pondered Lucy's words.

"Juvia doesn't understand," the demon knitted her brows together in confusion. "Lucy _wants_ to help? But she is a guest."

Lucy was a bit confused herself as to why her wanting to help was such a surprise, but then she figured it was only natural. There probably weren't very many royal guests back in their time that would offer to help servants of the castle.

"Yes," Lucy stated, reaching out for the mop Juvia had placed against the wall. "We'll have this castle looking spotless by the end of the day, just wait," Lucy beamed, walking over to the mop bucket to squeeze out all the excess water. "I'll deal with this, don't worry. I'm not sure how much water these wood floors can take," she said with a sympathetic laugh. Why don't you try washing the windows?" The demon looked at her in confusion but gave a slow nod, the concept of a guest cleaning the house completely foreign to her.

"Er, Juvia will get started then," the dazed demon made her way down the hall, puzzled as ever, though the blonde didn't seem to notice as she began humming contently, finishing what Juvia had started.

* * *

Levy looked up at the afternoon sky, taking a moment to pause after hauling a wheelbarrow down the rugged path of the forest for the past hour. She sighed in relief as she eyed the long bridge in front of her, the final stretch of her trip.

Dragging the wheelbarrow across the bridge was significantly easier than lugging it in the forest, the smooth stone making a much easier path for the wheels to move. The friendly white-haired demon woman met her at the front gates, taking the heavy load from the lightweight, clearly exhausted bluenette with a large grin.

"Mira! Good to see you!" Levy smiled wide, meeting the demon halfway for a hug.

"It's so good to see you again, Levy," Mira beamed.

"Likewise," Levy grinned. "How is everyone doing?" she asked the demon hesitantly, concern slightly dimming her bright expression. She had expected Mira's smile to drop as it unfortunately always did when Levy asked, but much to her surprise Mira seemed to look even happier.

"We're actually doing pretty great right now," the demon grinned. "We have a new guest."

Levy's eyes lit up at the mention of a guest. "Really!? After all these years?"

Mira nodded enthusiastically. "Indeed, she's been very kind to us. Come in! You should meet her! Maybe you know her!"

Levy had only been in the castle once before since she started coming every month, so she jumped at the opportunity to see the inside again. "Okay!"

Mira led her through the front entrance to the large double doors, pushing them open to reveal the vast hall. But it wasn't the elegance of it all that caught her attention, not at all. What caused her eyes to widen into saucers and her jaw to drop was the busty blonde kneeled over in the center of the hall, intensely focused on scrubbing a particular part of the floor.

"There she is!" Mira exclaimed.

"Wow, this stain is really tough–" Lucy looked up at the demon's voice and immediately began to smile and wave, but froze in place when she saw the bluenette standing next to her.

"Levy!"

"Lucy!"

Both girls bolted from their places to meet halfway in a big embrace. Mira gave them both a warm smile and left the hall to give them space.

"Why are you here?" Lucy questioned, though unable to hide her excitement at seeing her friend again.

"I bring supplies here every few weeks or so. It's kind of a long story," Levy explained with a sheepish grin. "Anyway, where have you been?!" The smaller girl cried.

 _Levy knew about this place the whole time?_

"I've been here," Lucy answered brightly despite the large amount of questions that filled her mind. "I kind of got myself into a… situation."

Levy's eyebrows knitted together in clear confusion. "What? Are you lost?" She looked around wildly. "... Trapped?" Her voice quickly went quiet as panic filled her eyes. "D-did they… Did they kidnap you? Should I get help?" She was shocked. Mira wouldn't do this, would she?

"I wasn't kidnapped," Lucy laughed nervously, nearly flinching at the half-lie she just told. "I'm here on my own will."

"What? Why?" Levy almost cried, though a sense of relief washed over her at the blonde's words. "Don't you miss us back home?"

Lucy looked up in thought, unable to give the bluenette a straight answer. She did miss Levy, but the same couldn't be said for anyone else back there. "There's something I need to do before I go back. I'm really sorry Levy, it's just something that has to be done."

Lucy could tell by the look on Levy's face that she not only felt extremely confused, but a bit betrayed. "So you're just gonna stay here? But you're my only friend," she whimpered, lip beginning to quiver slightly.

The blonde wasn't sure how long it was going to take to fix the situation here, but she definitely wasn't going to stay forever. She couldn't. "No," she responded with almost no hesitation. "Of course not. I'm coming back, I just need some time."

Light returned to Levy's eyes and she nodded. "Good. 'Cause I need you with me back there. It's been lonely just sitting in the library by myself all the time," the bluenette said with a dim smile.

"Don't worry," Lucy reassured her friend. "I'll be back soon, and we can talk about that book I noticed you were reading last time I saw you. I read it last year!"

"Good," Levy responded with a tearful smile. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Lucy grinned brightly, though her smile waned at her next thought. "…Do you know if my father has gone to look for me?" she asked, a bit of hope filling her eyes, only to leave immediately as Levy's expression dimmed.

"Not that I know of. Oddly enough, no one except for Dan Straight has asked about you."

The blonde scoffed. The one man she'd rather steer clear of was the only one besides Levy that actually knew she was gone. Not even her father cared. The thought damped her previously happy mood considerably.

Levy seemed to the notice the blonde's distress and rushed to console her. "But I mean, who cares about anyone else in that town anyway, right? They're all shallow and boring! And you're always talking about how your dad is always caught up in his work, he's probably just super busy! Don't worry about it Luce, just focus on coming back, okay?"

The bluenette had a point. There was no point in being upset about her father not caring about her right now. She had too much to do here. This castle should be her first priority.

"You're right," she admitted. "Like I said, I'll be back soon, so you shouldn't worry either."

"That's really good to hear," Levy replied happily, giving Lucy another hug. "I should probably go since no one's looking after the library right now, but I'll be waiting!"

The blonde grew sad at the thought of parting with her friend once more, but let her go nonetheless. "I'll see you soon," she smiled.

"I'll see you," Levy echoed with one last grin before turning around and walking out the huge doors of the castle.

With a sigh, Lucy went back to working on the stain on the floor.

"You know the blue haired girl?"

She jumped at the sudden presence in the room, eyes immediately looking up towards the direction of the voice. Natsu stood at the end of the hall, slowly walking towards her.

She immediately stood up and began brushing the dirt off her dress with her hands.

"Y-yes, Levy is my friend from back home, we were just talking about how she was doing back at the village," she stated hurriedly, hoping he didn't suspect her of conspiring to escape with Levy.

"… I see," he frowned in thought. "She is one of the very few humans I don't despise, so I guess it is no surprise that she'd…" he stopped suddenly.

"That she'd what?" Lucy questioned curiously. He growled at her persistence and she recoiled slightly, but stood her ground.

He turned around swiftly to leave, stopping at the door at the end of the hall where he entered. "It makes sense…" he continued, "that you guys are friends," he muttered before leaving Lucy alone in the hall once again.

 _Was that… a compliment?_

Mira smiled from the spot where she was eavesdropping, picking up a nearby broom and beginning to sweep the next room while humming a happy tune.


	6. Chapter 5

**Blahh I had this written for a while but I kept changing it cause I wasn't happy with some things**

 **I'm still not sure how I feel about this chapter but hey enjoy c:**

* * *

Mira watched Lucy with an amused expression as the blonde gaped at the massive library they'd just walked into. Everywhere she turned she was met with shelves upon shelves of books just waiting to be read at every corner. And there were two floors! There were enough books for several lifetimes in here, and Lucy couldn't even begin to guess where she should start.

 _Staying here for eternity suddenly sounds like a dream come true,_ she sighed, still in awe at the sight she was currently beholding.

"Well? Impressed?" Mira joked with a knowing smile. Lucy was too enraptured with the sight to even register her words. She subconsciously made her way towards a random shelf, eager to see what new fantasy worlds lied in store for her in this newfound paradise.

Though Lucy had read every single book at the local library in town, she didn't recognize any of the titles on the shelf she was browsing, which only added to her rising excitement.

"This is amazing," She breathed, picking a random book off the shelf and reading the cover. The title was written big in the center of the cover, with a fancy font. _Fairy Tail._ Interesting.

"Well I suppose I'll leave you to browse our collection," Mira giggled. "Enjoy~" she mused before turning around and leaving the library through the large double doors.

The door made a sound when it closed and Lucy jumped, nearly forgetting Mira was also there. "R-right! Thank you!" She called after her and promptly returned her attention to the book she held. A soft looking sofa chair beside the shelf beckoned to her and she sat, resting the book on her lap and holding it with both hands. The hard brown leather cover was slightly damaged, the worn edges exposing the cardboard underneath. The spine made a short cracking sound as she opened the book, and she noticed while flipping through the pages that many of them had creases from being folded in the top corner. One of the page corners, towards the end, was still folded down, and she wondered if someone else was in the middle of reading this book.

Accepting for the moment that she had all the time in the world, she crossed her legs on the soft leather of the seat, flipped to page one and began to immerse herself in her first new story in months.

She sat there reading peacefully for about an hour (it could've actually been two hours, or six, she wasn't really keeping track), deeply immersed in her new book. It told a story of wizards and fairies and dragons, centered around a girl her age and the adventures she had with her best friend and his flying cat as they traveled around a world she could only dream of. Lucy couldn't bring herself to stop turning the page. She had lost herself completely in fantasy once more.

"That's my favorite book."

"AH!"

"AH!"

Lucy nearly jumped out of her skin hearing the sudden voice beside her and let out a startled shriek. The high pitch squeal startled the new presence in the room, and he let out a small frightened yelp of his own. She immediately looked up at the newcomer standing a few feet away and instantly relaxed (but not really) when she saw it was Natsu, who was trying to regain his stoic expression as quickly as possible, hoping she had paid no mind to the very un-demonlike vocal reaction he just emitted. He failed, and Lucy stifled a giggle at her realization that the yelp she had heard had been Natsu. Did she really just scare big bad evil demonic _Natsu_ with her girly squeal?

"Oh, I'm sorry if I startled you." She was barely holding back an amused smile. He seemed to notice it, a tiny twinge of pink appearing on his cheeks as a scowl took over his features.

"I don't get startled! _"_ He nearly yelled back.

The door behind him swung open and Gray rushed in, immediately getting into some sort of battle stance and wildly scanning the large room. "What's going on?!" Gray exclaimed frantically, his loud voice echoing off the walls. "I heard screams!"

Natsu resisted the urge to slap a palm to his forehead. "Everything's fine. Lucy just gets scared too easily," he side-eyed the blonde, and she could've sworn she heard him mutter the word _weirdo_ under his breath. Her jaw dropped slightly for a second and she glared at him.

"Hey! You snuck up on me!" Lucy argued. "And then got scared when _I_ got scared," she added, holding back a laugh.

"I did not." He glanced at Gray, who was beginning to look more amused than anything else at this point.

"Did too," she giggled, suddenly very aware of the fact that they probably sounded like elementary school children.

"Well, doesn't seem like anyone's dying," Gray relaxed. He let out a light chuckle and turned to leave. "See ya!" He smiled cheerfully and bowed before leaving the same way he came in.

The demon prince closed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh as he slowly turned back to look at Lucy, immediately regretting it when he saw how hard she was trying to not burst into laughter.

He tried hard to hold back his own tiny smile, the corners of his lips twitching slightly before he managed to put his scowl back up. _So this is what I get for trying to be nice_. "Whatever. I just came to check on you to make sure you weren't doing anything shady. You're still a prisoner," he growled before swiftly turning to walk out of the large double doors Gray had just left through. The laughter bubbling up in her slowly faded as she remembered the first thing he said when he walked in.

"Wait! Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," she called out after him. "I'm really enjoying this book, you said it was your favorite?"

She felt kind of strange attempting to start a conversation with the man who probably would like nothing more than to throw her into the infamous dungeon and be done with it, but he did apologize to her for his rudeness the other day which gave her hope that maybe they could at least be cordial with each other.

Natsu stopped, slightly taken aback at the fact that she was actually attempting to talk to him. He turned his head slightly.

"Y-yeah…" he mumbled. "I've read it like 100 times."

"Really?!" she piped up excitedly. It was good to know there was another besides she and Levy who enjoyed reading their favorite books an absurd amount of times.

It seemed that was not the response he was expecting, judging by the way he turned around fully with a strange look. "Yeah. It's a really good book."

"I'm enjoying it a lot!" She beamed. "Do you have any recommendations?"

"Every book on that shelf is good," he gestured to the shelf where she had picked out the book she was currently holding.

"Awesome," Lucy smiled. "I can't wait to read them," This was actually going better than she expected.

Natsu on the other hand was freaking out internally over what to say to the friendly blonde prisoner.

"W-well whatever. I don't care what you do." He decided he should leave the situation as soon as possible. Social interaction was never his strong suit. The demon turned to leave once more, not waiting for a response. "And stay out of the west wing. Mira's giving you too much freedom," he stated firmly before swiftly leaving the room.

The door slammed shut as Lucy sighed. _Well, that was progress… I think._ She would have never guessed Natsu had interest in reading fantasy books such as _Fairy Tail_ , considering it was so bright and happy. She figured he spent his free time screaming at puppies or something.

He seemed to become less intimidating to her with every interaction. Somehow she knew deep down, despite his cold and demonic exterior, Natsu actually had a heart. She could see it under his piercing red eyes even when he tried to hide it. Though with it, she also noticed a familiar sadness that lurked underneath, and despite how cold he was to her she couldn't bring herself to ignore it. Knowing firsthand how horrible it was to be in a constant state of hopelessness and despair, she hated seeing others like that. She wanted to help him. Not just him, but all of them. And apparently she was the only one who could.

 _And stay out of the west wing._ His words echoed in her thoughts.

What was in the west wing?

* * *

Natsu wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do around the prisoner anymore. Thanks to Mira and Erza he had lost his intimidating edge, and now Lucy seemed to no longer be afraid of him. She had been roaming around at her own leisure these past few days, and it was beginning to unnerve him. Especially considering the darkness concealed in the west wing. If she was going to be walking around freely like this, he had to make it known that she was not allowed to even go near there.

"You are making progress."

Natsu almost tensed until he realized it was Gray's voice, and also he refused to get _startled_ again after what had just conspired in the library. He turned to see the demon walking down the hallways towards him, stopping when he was a few feet away and leaning to one side against the wall. Natsu rolled his eyes before turning back around to continue walking to his chambers. "It's none of your business," he muttered.

"She looks like Anna."

The demon prince stilled instantly, nostalgia mixed with deep sorrow coursing through him at the mention of his old tutor.

"You had to have noticed that by now, right?" Gray continued, noticing the sudden change in Natsu's demeanor.

After a moment Natsu merely shook his head and kept walking, leaving the other demon to stare contemplatively at his retreating form and wonder what was going through his mind.

It was true, Lucy did bear a striking resemblance to Anna, and as the days went by she looked more and more like her. Natsu had chosen to ignore it, knowing full well that Anna was gone and she was not coming back. Unlike him, she was mortal. Lucy was no Anna.

The fact that it was Lucy, the spitting image of his old tutor, that had showed up at their doorstep was merely a coincidence, nothing more.

* * *

The next week found Lucy wandering through the rose garden in the gated front area of the castle with Erza, who was enjoying a hearty slice of strawberry cake.

She didn't understand it, but recently the scenery outside the castle seemed to look much better compared to when she first arrived. The dead trees looked less… dead, and some now had a leaf or two on their branches. The brown, brittle grass seemed to be coming back to life, and the rose garden in the center no longer looked more like a rose graveyard, as the roses were no longer wilted and had gained a bright red color. Bushes were slightly greener. It was almost like magic. Previously, from her view outside the window the outside world constantly looked dull and dreary, but it seemed within a week it was beginning to completely turn around. It was strange, but so was everything about this place.

"Hey, Erza? Do you notice anything different about the castle recently?"

"Yes. We now have fresh strawberries," she smiled, taking another bite of her cake.

"Yes well there's that," Lucy giggled. "But it's more than that. Everything seems more… lively, wouldn't you say?"

"I suppose." She looked up from her cake for the first time since they went outside. "It seems fate has begun to take its course."

"Eh?"

Erza didn't elaborate on her cryptic response, her attention shifting to something across from her, and she did a double take. Lucy's eyes followed her stare and spotted a broody Gray sitting on a bench on the opposite side, staring at the roses. His eyes held a sad nostalgia in them as he looked down at a single red rose in his hand.

"Roses were Ur's favorite."

The blonde's eyes shifted back to Erza at the sudden statement. The demon met her gaze with a sad smile.

"Gray's old friend that used to live in town. She died decades ago," she clarified with a sad smile, replacing Lucy's bewilderment with gradual realization, followed by heartbreak.

"Oh." Right. Everyone in the house had to have known people that were dear to them prior to their secluded demon life. And everyone in the house had outlived them.

"The roses are in bloom again. They probably remind him of her," Erza continued, looking around with a nostalgic gaze of her own. The two sat in contemplative silence for several moments.

She really wanted to help them.

They had made it quite obvious the first night that she would have to be one to break them free from this curse that had been placed on them for all these years. Though even so they all were always very vague about the subject matter, giving her nothing to go off of, and no ideas of what she could do to help. She didn't want to prod them for answers, though, fearing she may anger them in some way. It seemed whatever this curse was, it was something she'd have to figure out on her own.

"Well," Erza announced suddenly, taking one final bite of strawberry cake before standing up from where they were seated and turning to the blonde. "I think it's time we head back. The sun is beginning to set."

Lucy nodded in agreement, also getting up from her seat on the bench to meet the redhead at near eye level. The demon towered over her by several inches, about as tall as Natsu.

Speaking of…

Ever since their small conversation in the library a couple days ago, she started seeing him around the castle more often. And every time she'd see him it would almost always result in him storming off and her giggling uncontrollably. He was so easy to mess with, she just couldn't help it.

She'd always catch the tiniest hint of a smile on him before he quickly hid it behind his best scowl and stomped away. It gave her a sense of satisfaction. She just wanted to see him smile, since he seemed to always look angry at any other time.

The blonde "prisoner" was no longer afraid of him suddenly sending her to the dungeon in a fit of demon rage. If he really wanted to he would have _certainly_ done it already. She wasn't sure if it was actually Mira behind his suppressed need to throw her in a cage and lock her away, but either way it was a huge relief and she felt much more comfortable around him now than before.

They may even become friends at this rate.

Lucy nearly laughed out loud at the thought, Erza giving her a strange look as they made their way to the castle doors.

On the very first day of her arrival, Lucy was absolutely _terrified_ of the demon prince. She was sure he'd one day kill her and feed her bones to the gargoyles outside or something. But now she was thinking she wouldn't mind becoming friends with him.

"You're suddenly very smiley," Erza noted, eyeing the blonde on her right with amusement at the fact that she seemed to be grinning at nothing in particular as they weaved through the rose garden. Lucy giggled and shook her head.

"I was just thinking." She looked up at the demonic beauty. "I've been seeing Natsu around a lot more lately," she continued, looking straight ahead and missing the way Erza's eyes widened considerably. "I think I'm finally starting to warm up to him," she giggled.

Erza quickly regained composure, getting over the initial shock at Lucy's words and actions, and the meaning behind them. Just as they suspected, Lucy could actually be the one they had waited all these years for. She smiled fondly at the blonde. "It seems he's taken a liking towards you," she clarified, assuring Lucy further. "You don't have to be intimidated by him. Though he just likes to give the illusion of being menacing, it's quite easy to beat him down," Erza said with a mischievous glint in her eye. Lucy believed her words were spoken more literally than one might think.

She made a mental note to never get on Erza's bad side.

Lucy had gotten over her intimidation fairly recently. For most of her time here she assumed Natsu hated her with a passion, but it did seem like the animosity towards her that he emanated in waves was diminishing. He even apologized that one day for acting so rude to her when she had first arrived. "I'll keep that in mind," she smiled.

When they arrived back at the castle Lucy immediately went up to her room and flopped face first into the pale pink sheets, exhausted from the long day she spent exploring every inch of the gardens.

* * *

"Ahh I love her!" Lisanna squealed from her seat in one of the common areas of the castle. "She's so sweet, and kind, and generous, and thoughtful, and caring, an-"

"Yes, she's lovely," Mira interjected, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder knowing how much Lisanna could (and would) go on. Ever since Lucy arrived at the castle, things had gradually begun getting better for everyone, including the castle itself. There was not a single dead plant or cobweb in sight, everyone seemed much more lively, and most importantly Natsu had upgraded from angry-demon-prince-that-wants-to-kill-you to slightly-less-angry-demon-prince-that-probably-still-wants-to-kill-you-but-would-be-ok-with-just-glaring-at-you-angrily-from-across-the-hall, which in her book was significant progress.

"Yeah, way too good for that hothead," Gray muttered from his seat, staring at the fire pit with a small smirk.

"Lucy is very beautiful, but are we not gonna talk about how all the plants outside suddenly went from very dead to practically oozing with life almost _overnight?_ " Loke waved both hands in the air from his spot by Lisanna, leaning on the side table.

"Juvia finds it very peculiar," the blue-haired demon added. Strange as it was however, she couldn't wait to start watering all the suddenly very alive plants in the garden. She smiled as she stared out the window on the far wall.

"Maybe it is fate telling us we're moving in the right direction," Mira smiled slightly.

She had noticed that Natsu and Lucy had been interacting more than usual over the past few days. It was also during this time that all the flowers, trees and bushes that had been dead for decades suddenly bloomed vibrantly in the daylight in a single day. There must have been some correlation.

"She kind of looks like…" Lisanna sat up and turned to face her sister. "It's probably really unlikely, but am I the only one who thinks she kind of looks like Anna?"

Mira looked down at her hands on her lap in thought. "I did notice that. Though I think it would be entirely too coincidental for them to somehow be related."

"Would it?" Gray interjected, remembering his interaction with Natsu. "Anna lived in town, she commuted to the castle. And didn't she have a child?"

"She did." Loke knew for a fact that the woman had a daughter. She would mention it every time he attempted to flirt with the older woman.

"How curious," Mira admitted. "Though that would explain even more why Natsu is growing increasingly fond of Lucy."

"There's no way he doesn't see the resemblance." Lisanna grinned, recalling the lady in question. "Natsu loved that woman."

Loke smirked. "I'd have never expected this."

"To be honest though, I don't think I'd have it any other way," Mira beamed.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Oh my," a shady man with long black hair lurked in the shadows along the perimeter of the castle, eyeing the new ubiquitous greenery with his special mirror in hand. "It seems my hunch was correct."

"Lucy's in there?" Dan Straight glared at the large building in the distance.

"Aye. See for yourself." The shady man lifted his mirror to give him a view of its reflective surface, where it showed a young blonde woman sleeping peacefully on a bed of pink sheets. "She has been here for several weeks."

The lighter haired male scowled, roughly standing up from his bent-knee position, but an unnaturally bony yet strong hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him in place. "Not yet," he said simply, gaze fixed on the grand castle in the distance. "Now is not the right time."

"When is the right time then?" Dan growled impatiently.

"Soon," the man said simply. "It is time to go back. You asked for proof that I knew of the girl's whereabouts, and I delivered. Now you are going to help me."

"What are you even planning on doing?"

"I am going to stop fate in its tracks."


End file.
